COMMON Magazine Europe - SPRING 2017

COMMON//SPRING 2017//
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THE NEW-AGE OF LEATHER
GOODS
FOUNDERS OF CAFÉ LEATHER SUPPLY, MIGUEL AND KIKO SHARE THEIR
PASSIONS IN LEATHER AND LIFE
By Azhar Ahmad
First, tell us a little bit about yourselves.
Miguel Sánchez and Kiko Requena,
ourselves, are the founders of Café. We are
27 year-old, Madrid natives. We’ve known
each other since we were young; we went
to high school together and always hung
out in the same friend group. Kiko used to
work in communications and marketing
and I worked as a brand manager for
international brands. Passionate, curious,
adventurous, a love for sports, an
admiration for meticulosity, and
connoisseurs of only the finest foods, are a
few words that define who we are.
What is the ethos behind CLS?
We like to consider Café Leather Supply to
be more than just a brand or a company, but
rather the way that we perceive life,
conveyed through high quality products.
Rather than creating new ways of
production, we focus our efforts on
recovering old costumes of craftsmanship,
adapting them to the methods used today. .
We focus on manufacturing products with
the best leather on the market handled by
only the best craftsmen, just as was done
100 years ago. Outstanding raw materials;
Craftsmanship tradition, products made
with special care and attention to detail;
100% vegetable tanned leather; Durability,
made to be passed down from generation
to generation; Respect, in the most
amplified meaning of the word; Natural;
Curiosity — these values represent Café.
Café is unmatched when it comes to
communication, and we want to preserve
an intimate brand philosophy.
How did you two meet? What made you
decide to be in the leather goods industry?
April 26th in Madrid, and April 27 in
Melbourne. In April, Kiko worked as a
correspondent for Onda Cero in
Melbourne, Australia, where he had gone
for a year after leaving his position at RG
Together, where he led the communication
on Pinterest for Spain. Meanwhile, Miguel
worked as a brand manager in Madrid for
four wellknown brands in the fashion
world: Veja, Deus Ex Machina, Komono,
and Baracuta. We frequently keep in touch
through social media. On April 26th, Kiko
urgently reached out to Miguel. “Maiky
(Miguel's nickname), we need to Skype, it’s
important!” Kiko wrote him. He didn’t
mention why he needed to get in touch with
Miguel so urgently, but they agreed to
Skype that night. That night, the “26.5” of
April, they were both sitting in front of
their computer screens. One of us in
Melbourne, the other in Madrid. Miguel
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